Dinner-for-one has its perks. You get to eat exactly what you want without worrying about others’ tastes or preferences. And if you don’t want to prepare a meal for yourself, there’s good news: Many of the best meal delivery services are designed for solo diners, so you can enjoy a home-cooked meal without much cooking.
After several weeks of trying more than 40 meal delivery services, our GGR expert testers narrowed down the options to nine of the best meal delivery services for singles. We went through the ordering process ourselves and rated each service on a variety of factors, including:
- Menu variety: Were there enough meal options to keep things exciting? And did menus regularly change?
- Portion sizes: Were the portion sizes generous? Did we feel satisfied after eating or did we wish we had more? Was there enough to satisfy solo diners without a lot of leftovers?
- Ease of preparation: Did the meals require a lot of time in the kitchen, or could you quickly cook/reheat and then get back to more important things?
We also relied on our formal education—the GGR team is made up of certified nutrition coaches, certified personal trainers, and competitive athletes—to assess ingredient quality and nutrition. And we had registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) Perry Nix share her thoughts on every service on our list, highlighting the pros and the cons.
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.
Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles
- Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles Overall: Hungryroot
- Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Athletes: Trifecta
- Best Keto Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Factor
- Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles on a Budget: ModifyHealth
- Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Weight Loss: Fuel Meals
- Best Meal Kit for Singles: Home Chef
- Best Paleo Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Paleo on the Go
- Best Organic Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Green Chef
- Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Purple Carrot
Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles Overall: Hungryroot
Good for: Singles who want tasty and appropriately-portioned meal kits
Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it. There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that’s not interesting to you, this won’t be the right plan.
Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Athletes: Trifecta
Good for: Athletic people who want high-protein meals and a lot of menu variety
Trifecta combines convenience with healthy eating. While all meals are pre-cooked and pre-portioned, the ingredients are high-quality and preservative-free. While you have a ton of options, keep in mind that this is a fairly expensive meal delivery service.
Best Keto Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Factor
Good for: Keto dieters who are a little more lenient with their net carbs
Factor75 is a heat-and-eat delivery service that works well for those on specialized diets. Boxes are delivered weekly, and you can mix and match from different menu plans to maximize your menu variety.
Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles on a Budget: ModifyHealth
Good for: Those on a stricter budget who still want high-quality foods catered to their needs
If you adhere to a low-FODMAP diet, have diabetes, or a gluten allergy ModifyHealth could be the meal delivery service you’ve been waiting for. ModifyHealth processes all meals in a gluten-free facility and commits to using non-GMO ingredients. Your subscription gains you access to a weekly delivery of fresh, vacuum-sealed meals that are ready to reheat and enjoy. Plans start as little as 6 meals per week with the option to skip a week or pause your subscription.
Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Weight Loss: Fuel Meals
Good for: Anyone looking for low-calorie and good-tasting meals
Fuel Meals offers two dedicated meals plans—muscle gain and weight loss—catered to both men and women. You can choose to have all daily meals delivered, or stick to just lunch and dinner, on a weekly or bi-weekly delivery cadence. One downside is that there’s no customization of the meals.
Best Meal Kit for Singles: Home Chef
Good for: Those looking for a one-stop-shop for meal kits and want to pick up cooking skills
Home Chef is a meal delivery service that gives you options between meal kits, heat-and-eat meals, and grill-ready selections. It does require a subscription, but you can cancel any time or skip a week if you don’t want a shipment. Our testers appreciate the high-quality ingredients, easy ordering process, and variety of options.
Best Paleo Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Paleo on the Go
Good for: Paleo dieters who don’t need any other types of meals
Paleo on the Go is a meal service for people who would like to follow the paleo diet. They offer a wide range of foods, including bundle packages and seasonal items. The price range varies based on the items you choose to order.
Best Organic Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Green Chef
Good for: Those who don’t mind paying a little extra for organic meals
If you want high-quality and/or organic ingredients, Green Chef is a good option that can feed two to six people per recipe. There are several specialized diets to choose from, and you can mix and match from weekly menus to suit your needs.
Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Purple Carrot
Good for: Plant-based dieters who are okay with repeating meals
Purple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals. There are no specific meal plans, but you can choose from the full menu, which includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and “plantry” items—add-on products like brownie bites and salad dressing. You can’t mix and match meal types, though.
Other Meal Delivery Services We Researched and Tried
Sunbasket: Sunbasket caters to a handful of dietary preferences. There are Diabetes-Friendly, Keto-Friendly, Vegan, and Pescatarian meals, and they have both meal kits and Fresh & Ready meals. However, Amanda Capritto CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, says they were just mediocre in flavor (3.75 out of 5) and there are better-tasting options.
CookUnity: CookUnity earned pretty average scores across the board (3.5 out of 5 overall). The portions were on the small side and Anthony found some bones in one of his seafood dishes. There were also several ingredients missing from his orders. Overall, he was disappointed.

EveryPlate: Like Dinnerly, EveryPlate is a budget-friendly meal delivery service, but it differs because it doesn’t focus too much on nutritious meals. We understand that sometimes you have to trade some quality for a better price, but Dinnerly was better suited to our list (and it has more variety).
Daily Harvest: If you’re looking for lighter fare, like smoothies, soups, and flatbreads, Daily Harvest could be a good choice for you. But Amanda thought the portions were quite small (even for a single person) and didn’t feel satisfied, particularly with the oat bowls and smoothies.
How We Picked and Tested the Best Meal Delivery Services for Singles
Our GGR team of experts is made up of certified nutrition coaches, certified personal trainers, certified CrossFit coaches, and Olympic athletes who tested more than 40 meal delivery services, from meal kits to heat-and-eat meals, then rated them according to several criteria laid out in our strict testing methodology.
In addition to rating them on subjective attributes, like taste and ease of preparation, we also considered ingredient quality (including freshness), meal variety, and access to nutritional information. We also rated them on sustainability and price.

For this roundup, we considered whether or not the meals could be easily adapted to serve one. Prepared meal delivery services send single-serving meals, but some meal kits go up as high as four to six servings. To minimize food waste, we only considered meal kits that had two-serving options.
Here’s a quick summary of everything else we looked at and the questions we asked:
- Price: We looked at the cost per meal, giving high marks to meal delivery services that kept the cost around $8-$10 dollars per serving.
- Ordering flexibility: Was it easy to order? And could you change your deliveries and/or skip a week?
- Taste: How good did each meal taste? This was obviously subjective, but we tried to be as fair as possible and judged beyond personal preferences.
- Ease of preparation: Were the meals easy to prepare? Did they require lots of pots and pans that also led to a longer cleanup time?
- Portion size: Were the portions generous? Did the meals fill us up or did we leave the table wanting more?
- Ingredient quality: How fresh were the ingredients? Were any ingredients organic and/or sourced from local farms?
- Variety: How much menu variety was there? Did menus change regularly?
- Meal plans and customization: Were there a lot of meal plans to accommodate different dietary needs and preferences? What about allergies? Could you customize meals to your liking?
- Access to nutritional information: How easy was it to access nutritional information? Was it available on the site and on the food packaging or recipe cards?
- Packaging and shipping: How well was everything packed? Did the boxes arrive when they were supposed to?
- Sustainability efforts: Was the packaging excessive or overwhelming? Does the company use recycled materials and can the materials be recycled or reused when you’re done?
- Customer service: How easy was it to get a hold of customer service? Did customer service respond fairly when there was an issue?
- Customer reviews: What does the general population think about the service? Does it have high ratings or are there any major red flags?
Benefits of Meal Delivery Services for Singles
There are myriad benefits to signing up for a meal delivery service for singles. The most obvious, of course, is that you don’t have to do a lot of prep work in the kitchen. And if you choose prepared meals, you don’t have to do any prep or cleanup (aside from washing your fork) at all.
Here are some other benefits:
Less Food Waste
Meal delivery services for singles can lead to less food waste. You’re not buying groceries that you don’t end up using, and the recipes only make two servings, so you can eat one right away and have a quick lunch the next day with no extra food going into the trash. And if you opt for prepared meals, each one only has a single serving, so there’s no potential for food waste (unless you think the portions are too big).
Less Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping is the worst (at least I think it is). With meal delivery services, you don’t have to spend any time at the grocery store. You also don’t have to spend time putting a meal plan together and then breaking out all the ingredients so you can go grocery shopping.
More Meal Variety
Meal delivery services expose you to meals and recipes you may have never thought to try yourself. They also make it easier to switch up proteins that you may be less used to cooking. This not only makes it easier for you to stay on track (food boredom can easily lead to snacking), but it also makes you more likely to hit your nutrient needs. Studies show that meal variety (or “dietary diversity”) is linked to better diet quality overall1.

Easier to Stick to a Specialized Diet
If you have a lot of dietary restrictions or just want to follow a specific plan, it can be really hard to stay on track—especially if you have to prepare every meal yourself. The meal delivery services of today can accommodate many dietary needs and preferences, so simply add your preferred meals to your cart, and you’re good to go.
Buying Guide: What to Look for in Meal Delivery Services for Singles
In addition to the factors we rated each meal delivery service on, you may want to consider these three things when narrowing down your options.
Price
Price is one of the first places to start when choosing a meal delivery service since the decision is likely going to come down to whether or not it fits into your budget. Don’t just look at the overall price though—consider the cost per serving and any promos you can get as a first time customer. For example, many companies offer a discount on your first few boxes or extra free meals in your first handful of deliveries.
While meal delivery services can appear more expensive than grocery shopping and fully preparing meals yourself, there are plenty of budget-friendly options. And they’re typically a heck of a lot cheaper than takeout.
Dietary Needs/Preferences
Dietary needs and preferences are just as important as price (if not more so). If you’re not following a specific diet, this is a moot point, but if you need specialized meals, you want to guarantee the meal delivery service you choose can accommodate you.

And make sure you read past the list of meal plans. Some services say they offer meals to suit a large amount of dietary preferences, but when you start digging into menus, there are only one or two options that fit the bill. This won’t work if you’re looking for variety, so double-check that there are enough weekly choices to keep you satisfied.
RELATED: Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery
Ordering Flexibility
Most meal delivery services (and all of our top picks) are subscription based. This means that orders will automatically ship unless you cancel or pause delivery. If you don’t want deliveries every week, make sure the company you choose gives you the flexibility to skip a shipment. Bonus points if you can easily do this in your online account and don’t have to call in to customer service.
You may also want to check the flexibility on delivery days. If you work from home or spend a lot of time in your house, this might not be a big deal, but if you’re gone a lot, you’ll want to be available when deliveries arrive since they’re perishable. Look for companies that allow you to adjust your delivery dates as needed.
Meal Delivery Services for Singles: FAQs
Can you get HelloFresh for one person?
Technically, yes. HelloFresh is a meal kit service, and the minimum amount is two servings per meal, which could be plenty for some folks. That being said, some people might need bigger portions, so technically, two servings would be more like 1.5. Singles could also take advantage of the two servings by cooking once and having leftovers for the next day.
Are meal kits worth it for single people?
Meals kits are just as worth it for single people as they are for couples and larger families. In fact, meal kits could probably go a longer way when you’re serving one since you’ll have leftovers. If you’re someone who doesn’t like to cook or doesn’t enjoy eating leftovers, you may want to try a prepared meal delivery service instead. These send single-serving meals, so there’s less food waste and no preparation needed from you.
What meal service Is best for a single person?
It really depends on what you’re looking for. We think Fresh N Lean is a great overall choice, but if you prefer meal kits and want to do some grocery shopping at the same time, Hungryroot will be a better fit. If you’re on a restricted diet, you might want to try Ice Age Meals or Factor, which offer paleo and keto meals, respectively.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
References
1. Chan, S, Mozaffari, H, Conklin, AI. How is food variety conceptualised and measured as a diet quality indicator in developed settings? Protocol for a systematic scoping review. BMJ Open. 2023;13(7):e072154. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072154











